News & Notes

LSU Libraries Music Resources Supervisor Mikel LeDee presented Sound, Music, and Thinking Outside the Box at Clover College, a noncompetitive learning event for Louisiana 4-H University student participants, June 20-21. LeDee led interactive and fun presentations that focused on the elements of music, composition and performing through listening to a variety of music by different composers as well as completing individual and group creative challenges. Several Music Resources staff members assisted LeDee and led activities. PhD student Terrell Jones assisted LeDee during the presentations and led a group activity. PhD student Anna Ivanova demonstrated the viola and participated with the group. Graduate student Wagner Duarte demonstrated the cello and participated with the group. The students worked in small groups to score their own composition and performed it, completing the ultimate creative challenge of the class.

“I was impressed with how open, helpful and active the participants were; and also for their original contributions and encouragement to me and to each other,” said LeDee. “It was a great class and I was happy to meet and work with everyone.”

Sound, Music, and Thinking Outside the Box started in 2017 (created by Dr. Patrick Tuck and Dr. Mikel LeDee) and was the first educational music track offered to Clover College participants. It includes seven hours of instruction over the three-day 4-H University program.

Each year Louisiana 4-H participants travel to the LSU Campus in Baton Rouge from various parishes to participate in the 4-H University program. In addition to having the opportunity to learn about the tracks offered in the Clover College, participants compete for the best in state in over 40 project-area contests. Students are also introduced to the lifestyle of a college student by touring campus, living in on-campus dorms, eating in on-campus dining halls and going through the class-scheduling process.